Coriant has announced the introduction of Coriant Aware Technology, an new software-enabled toolkit designed to enhance the value of dynamic optical networks via sophisticated real-time performance awareness and control functionality.
In a live demonstration at OFC 2017, Coriant will showcase how the Aware technology can be used to enable faster and simpler new wavelength planning and provisioning, increased reach and capacity and improved service availability.
Coriant noted that existing networks suffer from limitations that can increase costs, increase wavelength activation times, limit reach and reduce efficiency, with these limitations in part due to planning tools that do not have real-time data from the optical network, as well as coherent receivers that are unable to measure OSNR and NMS, SDN and ASON/GMPLS implementations that lack the optical models of offline planning tools. In addition, the adoption of SDN and flexi-rate interfaces will further emphasise these limitations.
The new Coriant Aware technology is designed to correlate, analyse and act upon real-time data by applying concepts already used for the Internet of Things (IoT) and help to address these limitations, as well as help operators reduce capex and opex.
Coriant noted that residual margin in a network is affected both by OSNR and linear and non-linear impairments, so that accurately assessing residual margin means determining the impact of all three factors. For example, while current coherent receivers may be able to measure linear effects such as CD, PMD and PDL, they cannot measure the impact on signal quality, nor accurately measure OSNR or the effect of nonlinear penalties.
To address these issues, Aware technology features two components: the Optical Performance Engine (OPE) and Margin Processing Engine (MPE).
Optical Performance Engine
OPE is designed to combine the accuracy of an offline planning tool with the real-time speed needed for wavelength activation, Layer 0 restoration, and other optical use cases, with real-time performance enabled by simplifying the mathematical operations.
The OPE responds to path validation requests from the path computation function within the NMS, SDN or ASON/GMPLS control plane. With optical models that incorporate both linear and nonlinear effects, the OPE generates valid options for each requested path, including modulation types, baud rates, FECs, frequencies and power levels to allow the optimum options, including flexi-rate interface settings and super-channels, to be selected.
Margin Processing Engine
MPE is designed to enable operators to accurately estimate residual margin by collecting performance monitoring data from across the network, including coherent receivers and per-channel power monitoring capabilities of the network elements. It then processes this data in real-time to distinguish OSNR from signal degradation due to linear and nonlinear impairments, providing accurate, real-time residual margin values for each channel.
Additionally, MPE is able to provide this without the need for next-generation DSPs, allowing use with installed coherent interfaces.
Key capabilities enabled by Coriant Aware technology include:
1. Increased transmission reach and capacity by reducing or eliminating margin stacking and optimising power levels.
2. Faster wavelength service activation through reducing the provisioning steps required and the boundaries between planning and management systems.
3. Higher availability via support for SDN or ASON/GMPLS restoration, enabling a reduction in margin requirements for temporary restoration paths and pro-active downtime prevention.
4. Allows operators to use margin as extra capacity that can be provided to customers.
Coriant Aware technology will be introduced in phases, with initial OPE functionality due to be available for trials beginning in the second quarter of 2017.
